Autumn お彼岸 (o-higan) begins today, September 20—a time to remember ancestors with offerings such as おはぎ (ohagi), sweet rice cakes with bean paste.
おはぎ · Ohagi
Sweet rice cakes with bean paste
The seven-day observance surrounds the autumn equinox, which falls on September 23 this year. Families traditionally offer ohagi to ancestors and share them.
おはぎ (ohagi) are rice cakes with sweet bean paste. During お彼岸 (o-higan), families offer them to ancestors and share them—a seasonal food linked with care and remembrance.
Making something for someone can give remembrance a form you can hold.
Practice:
お彼岸に、おはぎを用意する。
O-higan ni, ohagi o yōi suru.
We prepare ohagi for higan.
Sources:
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) — 2026 calendar: https://eco.mtk.nao.ac.jp/koyomi/yoko/2026/rekiyou262.html
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries — Ohagi and the higan tradition: https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/ohagi_kyoto.html